Where I attempt to answer the misconception if your muscles really stretch? The short answer is they don’t, they lengthen.

We don’t stretch in yoga, at least not in the Smart Asana System. We allow the muscles to lengthen, only after they are actively engaged. In this yoga system we follow five Universal Principles of Alignment (UPAs) as originally taught in the Anusara style. The first principle reminds us to be open to all the possibilities of a pose and life for that matter. Also to pay attention to the foundation and make sure the part of the body that is supporting us and in connection with the earth is strong. That way, we can build up with great strength. The second principle is muscular energy. With muscular energy we properly tone the muscles. Here is where we can recall our study of anatomy and physiology. We have muscle spindles and golgi tendon organs in the muscle belly and tendons. These proprioceptors report changes in tension on muscles to the brain. When the muscle is engaged and not too tight, the brain sends the message back to the muscle that it is safe to lengthen. With that we get the “stretch” most people talk about. The muscle has an easier time lengthening, we become more flexible which allows us to maneuver though life with greater ease. If the muscle “stretches” without engagement, the proprioceptors send the message to the brain that the tendon is pulling away from the bone. The brain then protects the muscle and tendon attachment by causing the muscle to tighten up, so it stays attached and avoids injury. The muscles tighten and the person continuously feels the need to stretch. You can see how it becomes a vicious cycle. Just to briefly mention, the third and fourth principles deal with proper alignment, especially in the lower back. And the last thing we do in a pose is allow for the muscle to lengthen without force. It is a small subtle movement that feels really good.

In our poses we don’t hang the head or hang in a forward fold. In standing poses we don’t let the legs fall toward the floor. We don’t just move the body, instead we move with strong intention. For example, sit or stand with your arms out in front of you. Lift the arms over head and back down a few times. Now, bring your arms out in front of you, lift your shoulders toward your ears and then straight back. Your shoulders will line up with the base of the neck and your rhomboids will be engaged. Arms out with palms facing toward each other, imagine you had a beach ball between your hands and give it a squeeze. Keep the squeezing action and lift your arms overhead slowly, with purposeful action and then lower them again. Feel the difference between just moving them and doing it with meaning. That’s how we practice yoga. Now, lift the arms again so they are over head and straight, make sure the hands are not too far back. Slide the shoulder blades down toward the waist and lengthen the fingers toward the sky. That lengthens the muscles without over stretching or pulling on the joints. Another example is our high lunge pose. Right leg forward between your hands with your knee directly over your ankle and left leg straight back with the knee lifted. Do the action of dragging your feet toward each other and feel how that strengthens the legs to the core. Stay strong through the core and lengthen all the way down the back leg out through the heel and out through the front knee. It is a safe stretch without over stretching the psoas. Understanding the muscles and working them with intelligence is key in our system. This provides an effective practice for our students.

As Chiropractors, we want the best for our patients. With as many as 37 million people practicing yoga, some of your patients are going to yoga class. You want them to find well educated yoga teachers who teach in a safe environment. Studios provide that environment for their students. They are not distracted by loud music and crashing weights. However, even in a great environment, you may not have the best teachers. Many yoga teachers do not understand basic principles of anatomy and physiology because they have been taught by teachers who never learned proper techniques. SAS makes sure our teachers are properly trained to work with the body and support the care chiropractors provide for their patients. We don’t force any movements and move slowly into and out of poses to reduce the risk of injury and give the muscles time to respond to changes in body position.

Heating Up Your Yoga Practice: From the Inside Out There is something wonderful about a good sweat – especially when you are sweating from your yoga practice. Glistening from head to toe from a strong practice makes you feel like you have gotten a great workout and cleansed your system. We know that sweating helps to rid the body of toxins. The crazy thing is that some people think, the more you sweat, the more fat you burn and that’s just not true.

The physiology of sweat Sweat occurs as a means to cool your body. The body temperature must remain relatively constant for the body to function optimally. After all, we are warm blooded creatures. If our body temperature changed to our surrounding environment, we would not be able to sustain life. Luckily, we have a regulatory system, called thermoregulation, in place to keep our body temp. relatively constant in any type of environment. So when we walk into a cold room our body responds by constricting the body vessels in order to preserve heat. When we walk into a hot space we begin to sweat to allow for heat to dissipate. Both cold and hot temperatures can wreak havoc on our body systems. The cold air condition in the summer can cause the blood vessels to constrict and muscles to contract. This increases the workload of the heart. The heart will have to pump harder to get blood to all areas of the body. Most people know that at 2 pm in the summer the sun is so hot. It is not recommend to do work or exercise outside during the sun’s peak hours, really between 10am and 4pm. Runners tend to run outdoors in the early morning or late evening when the sun is not as hot. It is smart! When you lose too much water through sweating, you cause dehydration. Our body is made up of about 75% water. It goes up and down a bit with age. When you lose water, you lose weight. It makes sweating excessively attractive to some people.

However, the problem is that the water must be replenished. Even though you drop water weight quickly, you gain it right back by drinking water again. And you have to drink the water or your body will shut down. Dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in. So whenever you are sweating, you must drink water. One of the main causes of dehydration is hard work or exercise is excessively high temperatures. The body is smart enough to trigger the thirst mechanism in response to water loss. When you are thirsty, you need to drink. If you do not the body has to employ more drastic measures to keep alive. The body will begin to decrease urine output, the mouth gets dry, your eyes stop tearing, your muscles cramp, you may have heart palpitations, you get lightheaded and may experience nausea or vomiting. You can experience one or all of these warning signs.

Dehydration is serious and can lead to many problems including system shut down, coma and death. Most people don’t want to practice yoga in excessively cold environments. However, many want to practice in excessive heat. The idea to cleanse the body is a good one.

I love a good sweat. However, if you are in a room that makes you sweat before you begin your practice. You will be fighting against your body’s natural mechanisms to keep you healthy and safe. If you are sweating from the outside temperature (outside your body) then your body is already starting its cooling response and will continue to try and cool. It has to maintain proper function. With that in mind, your muscles will not create heat needed to burn calories and burn fat. On the other hand if you practice in a mild temperature, you will, through your practice create heat by working your muscles, they will create energy (heat), burn calories, burn fat and you will sweat from the inside out. That is effective and efficient for the body.

Want to heat up your practice? You want to practice in a warm room. The warmth will allow your muscles to feel good. You do not want to practice in a cold room. A room with a temperature between 72 and 78 is an amazing sanctuary for a strong and flexible practice space. That temperature range is not a hard rule, rather a general guideline. It keeps your muscles warm, yet allows you to crank up the heat from the inside out. That translates to a sweat that builds up from your hard work not from the outside temperature. So heat up your practice safely and efficiently by working your muscles deeply. A good strong practice can open you in ways you never thought possible. Written for Namaste News 2011

The number one aspect in yoga, that makes all the difference when discussing fitness, is awareness. Before you begin a physical practice, you take the time to get centered and bring your awareness inward. In the beginning of every yoga class at my studio we start by getting centered. That means you are encouraged to let go of all the stuff you don’t need in the moment and focus solely on you. When you focus on yourself, you focus on every part of yourself from the top of the head to the smallest toe. We quiet the mind, not to make it blank; instead to open it up to the entire experience of yoga.

A point I want to make clear is that many people say they do yoga. If someone does a yoga DVD or watches a free yoga TV show, they say the do yoga. If someone were to watch a martial arts show or DVD, they would never say they do martial arts. In yoga, it’s different. I have many people who call or email me at the studio and want to start with the more challenging classes because they have been doing yoga at home or a gym. I explain that studio is yoga is very different and suggest they start with our Intro to Yoga 5 Class Series. Some people are very offended until they take the first class and realize what they were doing was not the same. I hear phrases like, “I didn’t know there was a right way to do it” and “I thought you just made your body look like the instructor” all the time. For those who may think the same thing, I will tell you there is a smart way to practice and your attitude, alignment and actions are important – more important then what the outside of the pose looks like.

One of the first things I teach my yoga teacher training students is to worry more about the flexible people they have an increased risk of injury. Yoga is not about bending farther or deeper. It is about finding a balance between strength and flexibility. I share this concept in that Intro to Yoga Series. If you are naturally more flexible than you need to focus on strength or muscular energy so you do not go too far or too deep. It doesn’t mean you can’t deepen, you just have to do it with intelligence. It doesn’t mean you don’t pay attention to the tighter folks. Of course you do! They usually don’t go too far because their tight muscles stop them. We carefully focus on gaining more flexibility, while keeping the strength. This is not the place to talk about the anatomy and physiology of flexibility. However, you should know that one part of flexibility is range of motion and another is laxity of the connective tissue. Your yoga teacher should have a working understanding of this. There are many factors that influence flexibility, one includes hormone release, another is joint structure.

Most doctors do not know much about yoga. Some practice, it is true. However, many of them find fast, more aggressive types of practice to go with their Type A personality. Not all, but many. They also need just as much help as the next person turning inward and letting go of the competitive nature to push harder. I have helped a number of doctors heal themselves from prior injuries. They are amazed when I teach them about body awareness and alignment. Not that they are not brilliant and knowledgeable about the human body. However, they do not relate it to yoga. I remember years ago watching Oprah and Dr. Oz was on talking about doing yoga. He practices and recommends it to his patients. That is great. What is not great is that he doesn’t completely understand it. Oprah asked if you should have your heels down to the ground in downward facing dog, he clearly responded, “Yes.” Sorry Dr, Oz – that is just not true. There are many factors involved, one of them is anatomical structure of the bones that make up the ankle joint. Some people will never be able to get their ankles down –even after stretching for years. The point is that when it comes to understanding yoga, doctors are not the best at it.

I have many middle aged women who come to the studio because a friend recommended yoga to help with their hip pain. Many women have had hip pain for a number of years before they enter into a yoga

class. William Broad’s article doesn’t give full histories for the women in the studies. He doesn’t even make a distinction between yoga and dance. They are different types of movement. Below is the exact quote from the University of Berne’s research paper with main investigator Reinhold Ganz, MD

“The pincer-type FAI produces a rather slow process of degeneration and occurs more often in women between 30 and 40 years of age engaging in activities with high demands on motion like yoga and aerobics.”

Not much for strong research regarding yoga and hip injury. It was casually mentioned rather than scientifically studied for this specific group. William Broad is nothing more than a man who manipulates texts to suit his fancy. I cannot find information to support his other statements. He mentions an Orthopedic surgeon from the Mayo Clinic who annually performs 10 to 15 hip replacements on people who do yoga. Again, I would like to see full patient histories before jumping to conclusions. Did the patients need hip replacements before beginning yoga? Were there pre-existing conditions? Were they involved in other forms of exercise or movement? The Mayo Clinic puts out a variety of yoga DVDs. Yoga for everything from high blood pressure to lower back pain. Do you think the Mayo Clinic puts out DVDs in order to injure people’s hips to keep their surgeons in business? Does that sound as absurd to you as it does to me? Maybe, the connection Broad makes to yoga and hip injury is weak, very weak. If the only study he can come up with linking yoga and Femoroacetabular Impingment (F.A.I.) is the Ganz study, there really is no connection at all.

I am not saying you cannot injure yourself doing yoga. You can. You can also injure yourself walking, brushing your teeth, shampooing your hair, sneezing as well as, any other form of movement and exercise. Mostly all automobile accidents occur when one party is not paying attention to driving or impaired. When you pay attention to what you are doing, you decrease your risk of injury. Yoga is about paying attention, full attention, to what you are doing. It is about moving into and out of each pose and transitioning from one pose to another with full awareness. It is not about winning, going fast or being better then someone else. It is about being fully present in your body.

Like any form of movement you want to study, find a well qualified instructor. You want to find a yoga teacher with at a 200 Hour Certification from a qualified Registered Yoga School. Most people do not look into their yoga teachers qualifications. They find a teacher they like because they say sweet things and make them feel good. That is nice. However, it may not be enough. You want a teacher who knows what he or she is talking about. A teacher that can explain terms and phrases instead of just use the same words a popular teacher uses. Overall, yoga should create space in the joints and allow you to move freely without pain. That doesn’t mean there won’t be challenge and even discomfort. The discomfort may be due to hard work in an area that is not often engaged, but not pain from impingement. Your teacher should be able to help you understand if you are experiencing discomfort or pain. If you are in pain – stop. Let your instructor help find a better position for you so you can experience the pose without pain.

]]>Yoga – Practice like the making of a Ferrarihttp://smartasanayoga.com/2017/06/03/yoga-practice-like-the-making-of-a-ferrari/
Sat, 03 Jun 2017 15:28:20 +0000http://smartasanayoga.com/?p=271

Imagine you have a child, sibling, parent or good friend who is about to purchase a vehicle. What qualities would you want that vehicle to have? Safety? Durability? Reliability? I think those are important. Do you think that you can get those qualities in a vehicle if the people involved in production move as quickly as they can, without attention to detail? I don’t. That is why I practice yoga with attention to detail, move carefully and intelligently.

I practice and teach yoga in the same manner. My focus for others is the same as for myself – safety – I want to reduce risk of injury inherent in all movement and exercise. Durability – I want to be able to do this practice for a long time. I want to build both strength and flexibility. Reliability – Yoga helps me take care of my whole self, not just one part. My practice is well rounded – is challenging, fun, dynamic as well as stress reducing and meditative. That allows me to take better care of myself so I can help those around me.

Back to the example of building a car. Cars are made on an assembly line. Each station has a job to do. The faster the cars need to be produced, the higher the risk of error. There is a certain amount of time needed to assemble and inspect the parts and ensure that they work. When the employees are tired or stressed , there is a higher risk of error. Calm, relaxed employees, who have ample time to do their job, make the least amount of errors. Those are the people I want to build a car for the people I love.

My practice is like the making of a Ferrari. In Maranello, Italy, each Ferrari is uniquely made into a piece of art. The Ferrari goes through 30 stations and can stay at each for up to an hour. There is no rush when you custom crafting and magnificent machine. Only 5400 cars are made each year. Less expensive car manufacturers sell 5400 of a certain model in a week. Ferrari customers, on average, wait 20 months for their automobile. Time does not matter when you want exquisite craftsmanship, superior-high precision alignment. One technician builds the engine from start to finish. He pays attention to the details, ensuring it is made properly. Each car coming down the line is unique. The Ferrari is not mass produced. There is recognition of individuality. Some customers ask for modifications. The producers say yes to some requests and no to others. Although there is some allowance for diversity, they must keep the highest of standards.

My practice is a unique art. I go through an order of poses, with precision to ensure the best design. There are variations in my sequence, within reason to prepare and open my body with the most efficiency. I’m not in a rush because I have high standards for safety, reliability and durability. However, at times, I practice with more speed and at times less. It depends on the situation. No matter what the speed of practice, I never compromise my alignment. The custom process of my practice allows for supreme maneuvering.

I want the same for my students. So I teach with detailed instruction and mindful attention to each student’s alignment. I want the best for everybody. They come to the studio because they want custom craftsmanship. Life is busy and fast-paced. People come to yoga to slow down a bit. To not feel rushed through a practice. They want to get the most out of a class. I artfully design each class for optimal strength and flexibility. The classes are fun, dynamic and challenging. It’s about superior-high precision alignment and a life-affirming philosophy so that people feel great about what they can do and what they have achieved. They also, know that time was taken to make sure each part of the practice was as safe as possible. That this practice is going to lead to a more reliable and durable body, mind and spirit. This is a place (Inner Light Yoga Center) that you would recommend to your family and friends. It’s a place with teachers that care about what they are doing. A place with teachers that want the best for you and those you love.

I recently read an article that indicated it would be great if yoga was covered by insurance. It stated that with the evidence based research coming out showing that yoga benefits people suffering with many different illnesses, it is likely that insurance companies will include yoga. It also stated that yoga therapy could save insurance companies a lot of money. I might be one of the few yoga teachers horrified by the prospect.

I have been a provider with insurance companies. As a chiropractor I accepted insurance and billed insurance companies on behalf of patients. When I started practicing chiropractic January 2000, Blue Cross Blue Shield paid $39.00 for an adjustment (code 98943). For that same code in 2009, BCBS paid $29.64. Just to be clear, that was the allowable amount. So if a patient had a $20 co-pay, the patient paid $20 and BCBS paid $9.64. It wasn’t just BCBS that lowered rates paid to doctors over the 10 years I practiced. It was across the board, all insurance companies did it.

So while the cost of living increased, my office space rent increased, the insurance company employees pay increased, the CEOs received huge bonuses; the insurance companies paid doctors less. At the same time they raised insurance rates significantly, each year. I know this because I paid for my own insurance. When you have a small business, you are responsible for providing your own healthcare benefits. My rates increase about $30 per month each year. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to pay for health insurance – rates will be just too high. As for my insurance, it’s not a fancy plan. I have a huge deductible and a $50 co-pay.

Here is another thing about insurance companies – they will do whatever they can to cut costs. As a chiropractor, I would have to fill out pages of notes and do hours worth of tests to show care was needed. That wasn’t a problem. Of course, I was doing care that was needed. I did a very thorough examination and took great, legible notes. I would submit them to the insurance company in a timely manner and then they would deny care for the patient. There were no logical or “medical” reasons to deny care. When you enter a contract with them, they state they can deny care. They don’t pay and because you agree to their terms, you cannot bill the patient. Another tactic they like to use is to originally tell you they will pay for care and once you submit your bills, they deny payment.

Truly the experience for many doctors’ offices is horrifying. There are billing departments that just fight claims all day. Their job is to fight for payment for services already rendered. You have to have a lot of cash to get you through because you will not get paid in a timely manner. Yoga teachers are similar to chiropractors in their desire to help people. My first year of practice, I wrote off the same amount of money as I collected. That means I only got paid for half of the service I provided. It’s really hard to survive that way.

Most yoga studios do not have the time, space or energy to waste fighting for payment. I cannot imagine the day that yoga studios have insurance departments. And if you think it won’t happen to yoga, you are wrong. It happens to all doctors, psychologists, counselors, physical therapists and occupational therapists. It happens to all service providers that enter into contacts with insurance companies.

Insurance companies also pay different providers different rates for the same or similar services. Here is a comparison. I went to an allergist to find out what I was allergic to. I was in the office about 2 hours for my first visit. The nurse took my vitals, about 5 minutes and asked some questions about 5 minutes. The doctor came in and asked me the same questions the nurse asked and a few more totaling about 10 minutes. They office billed my insurance company $511.00. The allowable amount was $222.68 – I paid $50 and the insurance company paid $172.68. Now a patient would come to my office for a first visit. He or she would be in the office for less than two hours, maybe an hour to an hour and half. In that time the patient would be with me. I would perform a thorough case history and do a physical examination and evaluation. Depending on the individual, I would either adjust her or send her out for more tests first. I would bill the same code as my allergist’s office. I was with the patient much longer and did a complete evaluation. I would bill about $105.00. The allowable amount depended on insurance companies. The same company that allowed $222.68 to my allergist paid me zero. Yes, nothing. They did not pay chiropractics for examinations. Some other companies would pay between $25-65. Do you think they will pay a yoga teacher more?

A few years ago I had someone ask me if I accepted insurance at the yoga studio because their insurance company paid for yoga. I told them I did not. However, I was curious as to what the insurance company paid. I inquired about the process and payment. The insurance company said they did cover yoga. How did it work? You, as a yoga teacher, become a provider. As a provider you agree to discount their clients 25%. They pay nothing. That is how they cover yoga…

The insurance situation has not gotten better. Look into how many doctors no longer take insurance. Many doctors will only provide “out of network” benefits. The cost of practice and living is too high for doctors to survive on the minimal fees from insurance companies. I think insurance is there for catastrophe coverage. We need to have it. However, yoga does not need to get swept up in its mess.

Before I stepped foot in an anusara yoga class, I had been practicing yoga for 10 years. Before I started practicing yoga I had been meditating for a few years and was a vegetarian. I didn’t begin yoga because I wanted to become more flexible. I went to a class at the suggestion of a friend, who said my philosophy of life sounded like her yoga teacher’s philosophy.

Before anusara yoga I graduated from Rider University with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and two minors in Philosophy and Social Work. I went into the field of Psychology because I realized the power of the mind. I always thought people had the potential to heal themselves if they put their mind to it. I thought people were strong, mentally, sometimes they just didn’t know it. I wanted to help people find that strength without the use of medication if at all possible.

It’s a tough sell in this world. We are brought up in the medical model – if there is a “quick fix,” however temporary, we would rather go with that than put hard work and dedication into healing. Dealing with a person’s psychological state is challenging and takes time and effort. At that time in my life I started getting adjusted by a chiropractor. I felt better in my body. Feeling better physically, allowed me to feel better mentally. It was just easier to be happy, when I felt so good. I decided people would have an easier time with their mental health choices if they felt at their best physically.

Before anusara yoga I went to chiropractic school and graduated with Doctor of Chiropractic degree. At the time I graduated from Palmer, I had already completed 9 years of college. I was pretty smart. I was also open and willing to continue to learn every day. I loved to learn. My dad called me a professional student. I was good at it! It was during the time that I was in chiropractic school, that I began my love of yoga. I took my first class and was hooked. I didn’t just do yoga; I lived it, I studied it, I loved it. My first class was with a teacher who studied with B.K.S. Iyengar.

Before anusara yoga, I completed a 3 year post graduate program in Prenatal and Pediatric Chiropractic. While doing that program, I did my first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. The style was in Sivananda Yoga. That was a specific type of yoga that didn’t really focus on alignment. I was fond of alignment. Being a chiropractor and studying Iyengar yoga, I appreciated the attention to detail and alignment focus. So I studied books and books to gain more knowledge and understanding of yoga from many teachers’ perspectives. After my first 200 hour program, I wanted to learn more. I completed a 500 hour Yoga Teacher training Program at the Himalayan Institute in PA. I learn more about the scriptures and meditation.

Before anusara yoga, I had a successful chiropractic practice for about 8 years and a successful yoga studio for about 6 years. I was an E-RYT 500 and had a successful 200 hour Teacher Training Program. All that before I stepped foot into my first anusara yoga class. I didn’t particularly like my first or second anusara class. I found the teacher to be slightly narcissistic. But I went back. There was something about the method, the style, the technique that I was attracted to. I tried another teacher. I loved it. I thought this is similar to my style and I would like to learn more.

Before anusara yoga I was a whole person. I was intelligent and open to never stop learning. I was able to run a successful business or two. I was happy. While always aspiring to be the best, I was content with where I was. I was able to think for myself and make challenging decisions. I wanted to positively contribute to world. I looked for the best in everybody. However, I didn’t just see the good. I also saw reality. I analyzed situations. I saw traits in people that helped me make smart business decisions.

Did I mention, before anusara, before I was 30, both of my parents passed away. They died within 3 years of each other. My dad died in 1998, 9 months before I graduated chiropractic school. My mom died in 2001, two weeks before my wedding. Those were challenging situations. Losing the most important people in your life to cancer, reminds you of how short life can be. It reminds you that appreciating life is a smart choice. My parents taught me how to stand on my own two feet. They taught me how to make decisions for myself. They taught me so much, most importantly, unconditional love.

I liked anusara yoga and chose to do the 200 hour teacher Training in anusara yoga. I completed the training never attending a workshop or class with John Friend. I took workshops with John and became an Anusara-Inspired teacher. Over the past year, I have debated about whether to get my certification in anusara. Here’s why – I didn’t understand the organization of anusara. I loved the fact that we are taught to look for the best. However, I thought that sometimes people only saw the good. I felt like people missed a lot because they saw only the rose flower and not the stem with thorns. For me, critical thinking is important and helpful in life. It seemed like that was lacking overall. While we are taught to embrace the dark and the light, it seemed like the emphasis was only on the light. It was a concern for me. I went to training where a teacher taught a portion of class. In that part, she used about 14 adjectives in two sentences. She was praised for such a great job. I didn’t know what she was saying or why she was saying it. I felt patronized and annoyed. The person next to me said, “I felt like your face expressed.” She felt the same way. I couldn’t be that teacher. My style is more straightforward, less flowery. I didn’t know exactly what was expected from an anusara-certified teacher. All of my questions were not answered. I continued to teach the best I could and love the practice.

Many people are asking me what I am going to do now that John Friend has had allegations made about him and since he has admitted to making poor choices. What am I going to do now that John has stepped down from his position as leader of the anusara community?

I am going to continue to be the best yoga teacher and person that I can be. In my 40 years of life, I have spent 84 hours in workshops with John Friend. That’s a short period of time. I didn’t agree with everything he said or taught. I heard him make mistakes. I accepted him as a human being. I learned all that I could each time I attended his classes. My body felt great during and after the classes. I enjoying helping other people feel great. I will continue to do that, with the utmost respect for each individual that I meet. I love yoga and value it.

Before Anusara I was a whole person. In Anusara’s time of struggle and controversy, I am a whole person. Whatever happens with John Friend, his decisions and the directional shift of Anusara the organization, I will be a whole person. I still wish every being the best.

The anusara yoga community has been faced with challenges – senior teachers resigning for various reasons and John Friend’s personal decisions exposed in a very public way. Each teacher and student in the community has to take a breath, detach, discern and decide what this means for him or her on an individual basis. Each person is going to have to choose for him or herself what action is right for the future.

From the Anusara webite:Anusara (a-nu-sar-a), means “flowing with Grace,” “flowing with Nature,” “following your heart.”
Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara yoga is a school of hatha yoga, which unifies a life-affirming Shiva-Shakti Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment.

Anusara yoga was founded by John with the best of intentions to make the world a better place. It is a hatha yoga system that has taught so many people how align with the universe, to align their bodies and see the world with a more positive attitude.

By definition of anusara, you have to follow your heart. That doesn’t mean you have to make a quick decision. It doesn’t mean you cannot go back and forth about your feelings. It means you have to connect to your breath, connect to your heart and to the universe to find what is right for you.

John Friend is not anusara yoga. John is a human being. He is fully capable of making choices and dealing with the consequences of his actions. For me, John has been a leader of workshops and a great asana teacher. Each workshop I have attended has taken my practice deeper physically. Each workshop has left me feeling empowered. For that I am grateful. I don’t get to practice with him on a regular basis. I don’t know him personally. I know him publically. Although I expect him to practice what he preaches, I don’t expect him to be anything other than human. I have not put him on a pedestal. I have heard him make mistakes. I don’t think he is more than me or better than me. I think of him like I think of everyone else on this planet. I am not perfect. I hold myself to the highest of standards. I have control over my actions and reactions. I try to be the best person I can be. I have done that long before anusara yoga was created and will continue to do so.

I am not in any position to judge another’s actions. I am not going to defend nor condemn John actions. I think he is disappointed in himself. I think he knows many people are hurt by the choices he made. I think he is taking responsibility for his actions. I may not agree with his choices. I do not know all of his choices nor do I know his actions. I do know that anusara yoga is a wonderful system of yoga and I will continue to practice and teach it.

I am my own spiritual teacher. I look deep within myself to know what is good and what is right. I answer to myself. I have never been fond of organized religion. Yoga teaches me that I have the power to behave morally and ethically. I do not give my power to any one person anywhere, anytime.I am learning from all the beings around me, every second of everyday.

This challenging time for anusara yoga has given me the opportunity to look at how I see the world. It has reminded me that I will always see the highest and the best in everyone. It also reminded me that I am firmly grounded in reality – the reality that we all need to refine our actions at times. We are all human. Knowing that, doesn’t excuse or justify anybody. John’s poor decisions and actions are his and do not reflect the community of anusara yoga. We are taught to make decisions that allow us to flow with Grace. You choose for yourself what you want to be a part of and take responsibility for your own actions. That’s yoga.

In my community I lead by example. I live yoga and have for a long time. I want to be a balanced human being. I don’t jump into extremes. I connect with my inner teacher, my true self and act from that place to make the world a better place. I want people to find peace and to live happily with more ease. I am imperfectly perfect. I fall, I brush myself off and get back up. When I make a mistake I learn from it and try to never make the same mistake twice. I grow everyday to be a better human being. I don’t ask anybody to follow me, rather to join me in the practice yoga and life. We are all in this life together. We have to decide how to make the most of it, with honor and respect for those around us.

At this time I am waiting to hear how the anusara community will separate the man, John Friend from the style Anusara yoga. I will help in the process where I can. I wish to continue to teach yoga in the best way that I can to make the world a better place. I will make all decisions with love and respect for all beings. That is my commitment.